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A review by justinkhchen
Till Dawn Tames the Night by Meagan McKinney
2.75
Some brilliance in the midst of an under-developed bore, Till Dawn Tames the Night was overall a conflicting experience because there were aspects I found deeply engrossing (the various pirate-related settings, Meagan McKinney's grandiose writing style), but dragged down by equal amount of elements that simply didn't work.
As a romance, the novel never properly set up the chemistry between the two leads. So throughout the whole love/hate back and forth, I was left baffled, not grasping where these deep-rooted emotions came from. After enduring the hollow first half, the novel finally provided the much needed backstory for the hero, and solidified him as a fairly dimensional anti-hero. There was a reason behind his sexual violence, which made this novel closer to a classic bodice ripper (or contemporary dark romance). The pseudo-consenting sex scenes were uncomfortable to read, but knowing the origin of his upbringing, they became quite fascinating psychologically.
The lack of polish also applies to its adventure aspect; the 'revenge' was never clear to me why it was such a decades long grudge, and the logic to the treasure hunt was flimsy at best (not to mention all the ill-planning from the supposedly cunning hero). But there were scattered details that kept me entertained: the hero's dragon tattoo (I found it unintentionally hilarious), the colorful secondary characters (particularly the romance between Issac and Flossie), the cold-blooded villain (basically a psychopath), and the presence of an openly queer character (though very stereotypical—lusting over his straight employer).
Even though overall Till Dawn Tames the Night was a total miss, I'm glad I persevered because there were stuff happened in the second half that almost saved the initial lack of engagement. I did enjoy Meagan McKinney's writing, and the overall vibe of her story. This one just felt like she made things up along the way without ever revising to ensure coherence. Lions and Lace seems to be a common favorite—perhaps I'll check that one out down the road.
***Historical Hellions Book Club | Feburary 2024 Selection***
As a romance, the novel never properly set up the chemistry between the two leads. So throughout the whole love/hate back and forth, I was left baffled, not grasping where these deep-rooted emotions came from. After enduring the hollow first half, the novel finally provided the much needed backstory for the hero, and solidified him as a fairly dimensional anti-hero. There was a reason behind his sexual violence, which made this novel closer to a classic bodice ripper (or contemporary dark romance). The pseudo-consenting sex scenes were uncomfortable to read, but knowing the origin of his upbringing, they became quite fascinating psychologically.
The lack of polish also applies to its adventure aspect; the 'revenge' was never clear to me why it was such a decades long grudge, and the logic to the treasure hunt was flimsy at best (not to mention all the ill-planning from the supposedly cunning hero). But there were scattered details that kept me entertained: the hero's dragon tattoo (I found it unintentionally hilarious), the colorful secondary characters (particularly the romance between Issac and Flossie), the cold-blooded villain (basically a psychopath), and the presence of an openly queer character (though very stereotypical—lusting over his straight employer).
Even though overall Till Dawn Tames the Night was a total miss, I'm glad I persevered because there were stuff happened in the second half that almost saved the initial lack of engagement. I did enjoy Meagan McKinney's writing, and the overall vibe of her story. This one just felt like she made things up along the way without ever revising to ensure coherence. Lions and Lace seems to be a common favorite—perhaps I'll check that one out down the road.
***Historical Hellions Book Club | Feburary 2024 Selection***